Spring - NWIFC Access - Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

Tribe Will Oversee Pulp Mill CleanupY’innis means “good beach” in theKlallam language and was the name ofa major tribal village that once thrivedat the mouth of what is now EnnisCreek.Today the “good beach” is poisonedby dioxin and PCBs contaminating itssoil and groundwater. The now-closedand torn down Rayonier Inc. pulp mill— which operated at the site for sevendecades — is responsible for toxic pollutionthat has also leached into PortAngeles Harbor.Strong cultural ties — including anancestral burial ground – and concernfor its fishing resources in the creek andharbor are why the Lower ElwhaKlallam Tribe signed a landmarkagreement in May with state and federalagencies to clean up the site. Underthe agreement — rare for the cloutprovided a tribe in an off-reservationcleanup — the state Department ofEcology (DOE) will lead the projectconditioned upon a number of tribalrequirements.“We were pleased to get a seat at thetable, especially since the site is off-reservation.It’s the first time that has happenedin the nation,” said tribal ChairmanRuss Hepfer. “It is important tohave our deep cultural and fishing tiesto this place recognized.”Four years of detailed studies to learnthe extent of the pollution problem,along with public involvement and planning,will precede any cleanup. Butthat’s fine with the tribe so long as thejob is done right.Sparked by environmentalists’ concernsabout contamination once the millwas torn down in 1998, the EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) tooksoil samples suggesting pollution levelswere high enough to qualify the site forSuperfund cleanup. Considered “moderatelypolluted,” the EPA indicated the75-acre site could be cleaned up understate laws.The Lower Elwha Klallam Dancers perform before a mural of the Y’innis Village ata ceremony in May. The event celebrated the tribe’s role in cleaning up pollutionat the site of the former village. (Photo: Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe)Local and state officials, and the millowner, didn’t want the stigma of a federalSuperfund site in Port Angeles, anddidn’t want to cede control of thecleanup to a federal agency. But theyneeded tribal sign-off on a state deferral,because the fishery impacted by thepollution is considered a tribal propertyright.The tribe initially supportedSuperfund status because deferring thecleanup to the state DOE might meanno tribal role or funding to ensure propercleanup. The agreement worked becausethe state needed Lower Elwha’ssign-off and was willing to negotiate,and because the mill owner, Rayonier,was willing to pay the cleanup costs.Rayonier will reimburse the tribe for itsexpenses up to $250,000 per year.If tribal conditions aren’t met, LowerElwha essentially has veto power in thestate deferral agreement and could againsupport Superfund listing.“We got everything we wanted exceptfor funding to restore EnnisCreek,” said Hepfer. “We’ll have to goelsewhere to find funding to restore thestream.”A large painted mural near the PortAngeles City Pier portrays early 19 thcentury life in the wealthy, fortifiedY’innis village. It was one of two largeKlallam villages in the harbor. TheY’innis site was occupied by the PugetSound Cooperative Colony in 1887 andsome surviving Klallams continued tolive on beaches of the harbor until the1930s, when lands were purchased fora reservation on the Elwha River.In 1917 the U.S. Government built asawmill on the site for milling sprucewood. The sawmill was rebuilt into apulp mill in 1929-1930. Rayonier operatedthe pulp mill from the 1930s untilits closure in February 1997. Prior toclosing it was the largest private employeron the North Olympic Peninsula.– L. Harris8